MEDI7212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 85: Diarrhea, Hypotension, Blunt Trauma
Document Summary
Airway: paediatric airway is smaller - greater risk of small foreign body obstruction (loose tooth), small swelling will obstruct. Larger tongue in smaller oral cavity - tongue more likely to obstruct airway. Larger occiput - different c-spine mobilisation, hard to intubate: nose breathers - respiratory distress if nose is blocked, trachea more cartilaginous and soft - higher risk of collapse. Larynx higher and more anterior - hard visualisation for ett: epiglottis is horse-shape, posterior projection 45* - harder for ett, cricoid ring - narrowest point in airway, difficult ett, trachea short - risk of dislodgement of ett. Fewer type 1 fibres - smaller number of fatigue-resistant type 1 fibres, breathing exhaustion more quickly: rr variation - higher metabolic rate -> higher o2 demand -> higher rr, hr - infant becomes bradycardic when hypoxic. Circulation blood volume 80ml/kg: relatively small volume of blood constitutes significant blood loss in small children.
